GSH
07-20-2011, 10:48 AM
For all the bitching about the NBA and its owners, there are reasons why NBA players haven't been flocking to the Euros for the last decade. I've talked about some of the problems here for years, but have been pretty consistently shouted down by some of the Euro fans. Here's another good article that talks about some of those problems. The union wants you to believe that there is going to be a mass exodus of talent from the NBA to international teams, because of the lockout. But I wouldn't recommend holding your breath waiting for it to happen. No matter what the NBA players say during negotiations, they know how good they really have it here.
http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/may/2011/07/19/greece-is-a-non-starter/
Here are a few excerpts from the article, with some information some might find interesting:
It’s also not as financially advantageous. The pro basketball players in Greece used to be taxed at a flat, 20 percent. Now, they are taxed the same as all Greek citizens and, for any highly-paid player, that means the tax would likely be 45 percent. The stories about all income being after-tax when playing in Europe? Lots of that is myth, although some contracts are "grossed up" for taxes.
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The families that own Panathinaikos and Olympiakos went so far as to announce that they were going to severely cut back on existing contracts. (A guaranteed contract over there is a different from an NBA guaranteed contract. For example, teams can legally delay player payments for up to 2 months and 29 days. At that point, a player cannot take the matter to court. He has to go to an arbitration committee.) First the player has to wait 3 months. Then the arbitration process can be long, frustrating, and costly. Often the teams just outlast the player, and pay little or none of the money owed.
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Additionally, rugged Olympiakos big man Ioannis Bourousis also left for Armani Jeans Milano. Bourousis turned down a contract offer from the San Antonio Spurs a couple years ago. I don't know if it was ever confirmed that an actual offer was made, but turned down.The Spurs’ coach, Gregg Popovich, likened the Greek’s style and manner of play to Vlade Divac. (Bourousis’ Olympiakos teammate, former NBA center Rasho Nesterovic, just had his contract terminated, although the club insisted it wants to re-sign him to a less-lucrative deal.) It's not exactly like a team option here. The team just had the ability to terminate the last year of Rasho's deal, and pay him just 50K. Deals are often very one-sided in favor of the teams. Lots of things that players here just don't have to worry about.
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Childress generally appreciated the overall Greek experience his first year; he went to Stanford so he was no rube. But it degenerated from there. In his last game, he experienced what may well have been one of the most brutal examples of fan violence, with people throwing flares and faucets.When I was living in Israel, I got a chance to attend a number of Euro games. It's not uncommon for games to be interrupted by dangerous objects being thrown from the stands, or "fireworks". It's always fun to see people in chem suits, investigating something on the floor.
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Childress himself, in an interview with ESPN’s Ric Bucher, said the experience was far from glamorous from a basketball perspective, from long bus rides to military-style practices to the constant worry about getting paid. “Whatever offer you get, there’s no guarantee you’ll actually get the money,’’ he told Bucher. “If a guy isn’t playing well, or a team is out of the playoffs, they’ll just stop paying you. I know tons and tons of players who just walked away because they didn’t want to go through the hassle.” Imagine that - just what I've been telling people for years. Players wind up walking away from money because it's too time consuming and costly to try and collect it. Bottom line, they don't always get to collect those great salaries.
And regardless of what some people are saying about China being the best place to be right now, the Chinese teams are notorious for not paying, and then dragging out negotiations until the player gives up. Maybe the biggest stars wouldn't receive that kind of treatment, but even that isn't out of the question. A lot of the legal protections we take for granted here aren't necessarily available. At the very least, the system is stacked against the player, in favor of the team. Foreign players in the NBA are treated just like all the other players, and given the same protections.
In a way I wish that a few more NBA players really would go play overseas for a season or two. They might come back with a better appreciation for what we, the fans, are paying them and just how good they have it.
http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/may/2011/07/19/greece-is-a-non-starter/
Here are a few excerpts from the article, with some information some might find interesting:
It’s also not as financially advantageous. The pro basketball players in Greece used to be taxed at a flat, 20 percent. Now, they are taxed the same as all Greek citizens and, for any highly-paid player, that means the tax would likely be 45 percent. The stories about all income being after-tax when playing in Europe? Lots of that is myth, although some contracts are "grossed up" for taxes.
----------
The families that own Panathinaikos and Olympiakos went so far as to announce that they were going to severely cut back on existing contracts. (A guaranteed contract over there is a different from an NBA guaranteed contract. For example, teams can legally delay player payments for up to 2 months and 29 days. At that point, a player cannot take the matter to court. He has to go to an arbitration committee.) First the player has to wait 3 months. Then the arbitration process can be long, frustrating, and costly. Often the teams just outlast the player, and pay little or none of the money owed.
---------
Additionally, rugged Olympiakos big man Ioannis Bourousis also left for Armani Jeans Milano. Bourousis turned down a contract offer from the San Antonio Spurs a couple years ago. I don't know if it was ever confirmed that an actual offer was made, but turned down.The Spurs’ coach, Gregg Popovich, likened the Greek’s style and manner of play to Vlade Divac. (Bourousis’ Olympiakos teammate, former NBA center Rasho Nesterovic, just had his contract terminated, although the club insisted it wants to re-sign him to a less-lucrative deal.) It's not exactly like a team option here. The team just had the ability to terminate the last year of Rasho's deal, and pay him just 50K. Deals are often very one-sided in favor of the teams. Lots of things that players here just don't have to worry about.
----------
Childress generally appreciated the overall Greek experience his first year; he went to Stanford so he was no rube. But it degenerated from there. In his last game, he experienced what may well have been one of the most brutal examples of fan violence, with people throwing flares and faucets.When I was living in Israel, I got a chance to attend a number of Euro games. It's not uncommon for games to be interrupted by dangerous objects being thrown from the stands, or "fireworks". It's always fun to see people in chem suits, investigating something on the floor.
----------
Childress himself, in an interview with ESPN’s Ric Bucher, said the experience was far from glamorous from a basketball perspective, from long bus rides to military-style practices to the constant worry about getting paid. “Whatever offer you get, there’s no guarantee you’ll actually get the money,’’ he told Bucher. “If a guy isn’t playing well, or a team is out of the playoffs, they’ll just stop paying you. I know tons and tons of players who just walked away because they didn’t want to go through the hassle.” Imagine that - just what I've been telling people for years. Players wind up walking away from money because it's too time consuming and costly to try and collect it. Bottom line, they don't always get to collect those great salaries.
And regardless of what some people are saying about China being the best place to be right now, the Chinese teams are notorious for not paying, and then dragging out negotiations until the player gives up. Maybe the biggest stars wouldn't receive that kind of treatment, but even that isn't out of the question. A lot of the legal protections we take for granted here aren't necessarily available. At the very least, the system is stacked against the player, in favor of the team. Foreign players in the NBA are treated just like all the other players, and given the same protections.
In a way I wish that a few more NBA players really would go play overseas for a season or two. They might come back with a better appreciation for what we, the fans, are paying them and just how good they have it.